


Think Fast

by GalaxyAqua



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-31 09:25:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6464848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalaxyAqua/pseuds/GalaxyAqua
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the prompt: "My friend just dragged me to this party and I just saw my ex quick makeout with me."</p>
<p>Or, Chikara's really, really sorry about kissing this guy out of nowhere, and he is so, so glad he doesn't know anyone else in the room right now. That, after a bit of thought, doesn't make the action any less mortifying. He just wants to sink into the ground, and maybe lie there for an extended period of time. That would be nice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Think Fast

**Author's Note:**

  * For [garbagecannot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/garbagecannot/gifts).



> happy birthday gabi, I hope this ennotana pleases you
> 
> also may I direct your attention to [this beautiful screenshot](http://40.media.tumblr.com/a3f028fe5411a4f5ede7724b7187d3fa/tumblr_o1xbvbKO2p1uiqr1uo3_1280.png) for no particular reason at all

“I’m not going,” Chikara stated firmly; stubborn in response. He wasn’t going anywhere, even if his friend decided to bodily drag him from his house. It just wasn’t happening. His night was going to be spent at home; exactly where he wanted to be.   

“Sure.” Hisashi only grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Sure, fine. Whatever you say.”

Of course, an hour later, Chikara found himself leaning against an unfamiliar wall, arms crossed, surrounded by people dancing and screeching while he contemplated where his life must have gone wrong. He was tired, and a little moody, and the obnoxious chatter was doing his head in. Oh, also, his friend was out of sight. Great.

He scanned the room for him – had been scanning the room for a while now, actually – but after Hisashi had claimed to be taking a trip to the bathroom, he had not come back. Chikara wanted to look for him, tell him that this was a terrible excuse for a party and he wanted to leave, but he also didn’t want to move from his place by the wall. There were too many people, and he was sure that if he took even a single step into the rowdy crowd, he’d emerge regretting every moment.

He went for his phone, sighing deeply. Texting, he discovered, was a useless endeavor. When he tried calling, nobody picked up.

So he was thus stuck on the sidelines, dodging drunken stumbling and raucous laughter, as he kept a lookout for his runaway friend (who he wasn’t going to forgive unless he had good reason to be taking so damn long). He dully noted that parties were supposed to be fun, and that he was supposed to be letting himself go like all the others surrounding him, but frankly, he hated this. He just wasn’t in the mood for partying – there was a tap on his shoulder, but he was already shaking his head as yet another person offered him a drink that night – and he certainly wasn’t in the mood to make a fool out of himself.  

He flicked his phone screen on and off, as if it would make time go faster. It didn’t.

He sighed again.                                                                                                                         

Finally, by pure chance, he spotted Hisashi’s telltale spiky hair near the back door, making out with a stranger as if the rest of the world simply didn’t exist. Chikara wrinkled his nose. Ah. That would explain things. He shuffled his feet awkwardly. Well, he certainly wasn’t going to break that up and ruin his friend’s fun.

But that could mean hours more of this slow torture, and Chikara decided that loitering by the wall for Hisashi was simply not worth it. He’d just… wait in the car. He felt his pocket for keys. Yeah, he could wait in the car. The car was quiet. And peaceful.

“Sorry, excuse me, just coming through,” He murmured as he sauntered through an overly enthusiastic game of piggy in the middle on his way to the door – fully intending to take a nap in aforementioned car. He was almost there, too, when his luck betrayed him and he saw the last person he wanted to see. Or, rather, the last person he thought he would see.

Laughing mildly, with the same sweet curve to his lips, was his ex; Yahaba Shigeru.

He panicked.

Usually, Chikara would have lit up at the prospect of a familiar face, but this was understandably not the case. On autopilot, he was already turning around, slinking back into the crowd with high hopes Shigeru hadn’t seen him.

They had broken up two months ago. It had been on good terms, too: loss of romantic interest. That was all.

Chikara’s mind caught up to him. If that was all, then why had he run? He shouldn’t have – he and Shigeru were still friends, so why did he - ? He chanced another look, eyes searching for that familiar curl of hair and those clear brown eyes. Hand in hand with a man scowling a hole into the floor, as he laughed a little more, bringing a hand over his mouth.

Oh, Shigeru had a new boyfriend. That would… that would make sense.

Now he was glad he didn’t approach him. Not because he was jealous but because he didn’t know how he was supposed to act. He didn’t want the new boyfriend seeing him as a threat either. Shigeru was a magnet for drama, and Chikara certainly didn’t want to add fuel to that fire.

But turning his head to look over had, unfortunately, caught Shigeru’s attention. His ex’s expression had flickered, from confused to vaguely delighted (it was hard to tell from this distance, but they hadn’t been dating for no reason), and to Chikara’s surprise, he started making his way over. For the second time, Chikara panicked.

He didn’t know what came over him, but he started to run away. The crowd was unforgiving, as if wanting to root him to that spot. At this rate, he’d be crushed before he even got a word in with Shigeru, and neither of those options seemed very appealing. He had to think quick. Flustered and not even knowing why, his hand shot out and grabbed the wrist of a stranger passing, and the man had stopped short, turning to look at him inquisitively.

“D’ya need somethin’?” He asked, an eyebrow quirking. He was only slightly taller than Chikara, though the way he held himself – confident and sure – made him appear much more. The brunet swallowed, noting the taut muscle under his fingers lending to a rather impressive physique. No! He couldn’t get distracted. He had a plan. A mortifyingly stupid plan, but it was a plan nonetheless.

“I need a favor.” Chikara breathed out, hyperaware of Shigeru’s voice as he was steadily making his way through the crowd. His actual words were drowned out by the drunken buzz around them, but Chikara still heard the unmistakable sound of it, laced in with the same sarcastic Yahaba charm that he used on people he didn’t really want to talk to.

“What kind?” The stranger looked skeptical, though a touch amused. A bead of sweat was cascading down his hairline, concealed by nothing, courtesy of his closely shaven head. “I know I might look it, but I don’t sell drugs, if that’s what you’re after.”

“W-what? No!” Chikara turned red, subconsciously tightening his grip on the other. “It’s not that, it’s,” his tone lowered, “My ex, he’s – he’s watching.”

“And?” he blinked. His free hand rose up in a fist, as his gaze ignited with something fierce. “You want me to beat him up for you?”

“I want you to kiss me.”  

There was not much time to think between that sentence and Shigeru’s soft, “Hey Chikara –“, when he tugged the stranger down by the hand and brought their lips together.

He was so, so glad he didn’t know anyone else in the room right now.

“Oh,” he heard Shigeru gasp.

A voice he didn’t recognize grumbled, “This the guy you were talkin’ about?”

“I mean, yeah,” Shigeru said, an astonished chuckle falling from his lips.

Chikara waited for him to go. He waited for him through the overwhelming taste of melon soda – how unexpectedly adorable, he had been expecting something alcoholic or bitter – and through the incredible embarrassment to be caught kissing a complete stranger, just to avoid talking to someone he had had no problems with kissing too, at least half a year ago.  

However, after it was evident that this small display of public affection wasn’t going to send his ex-boyfriend anywhere, Chikara pushed himself off the stranger, ready to spit apologies a mile a minute. And also curse Shigeru for sharing his same trait of high tolerance in unfavorable situations.

To his surprise, however, the stranger – by the way, the one he just kissed out of nowhere, and couldn’t explain away with the excuse of alcohol – hushed him with a winning smile, face flushed.

 “Sorry, did you need anything?” He asked Shigeru directly, as if he hadn’t just been impromptu pressing mouths with the guy’s ex-boyfriend. Shigeru raised an eyebrow at the abrupt normality of the conversation, but glanced at his own companion before shrugging.

“Not particularly,” He smiled. “Just saw Chikara and wanted to say hi.” His eyes then went straight to the man in question. “So hi, it’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Fine, Shigeru. Just fine.” Chikara replied, feeling the heat practically pulse in his cheeks. “How have you been?”

“Great, actually.” Shigeru tipped his head curiously, “I see you’ve been busy.”

Not knowing how to respond to that, Chikara simply nodded, gaze falling to the floor. He almost jumped when he felt a strong arm curl around his shoulder protectively, and the stranger once again, came to his rescue.

“Well, it’s been real nice meetin’ you, _Shigeru,”_ he said, with a wide grin. “But _Chikara_ and I need to head out now. Noya threw a chair over the fence, and we gotta go get it back before anyone gets in trouble.”

“Oh, well,” Shigeru blinked owlishly. “Good luck with that.” He shot Chikara one final smile. “Though we should catch up sometime. It seems like we’ve both headed in an unexpected direction.”

Before he could ask about it, Shigeru was gone, tugging his disgruntled boyfriend behind him. Which left Chikara with the stranger. Alone.

His arm was still around Chikara’s shoulder.

“Um,” he started, turning to face him while steadily feeling the blood rush to his face. “First of all, I’m so, so sorry I dragged you into that – I wasn’t thinking, and it was a really petty thing to do, and I was completely in the wrong for planting one on you like that, and I’m really sorry. I understand if you want to punch me or something,” he vaguely remembered that not all guys like kissing other guys and his face got even redder. “In fact, just go ahead and punch me. I deserve it.”

“Hey, hey, chill out, man,” the other held him at arms’ length, grey eyes shining with mirth. “I’m not mad. A little more warning would’ve been nice, but I’m not mad.”

“You’re … not?”

“Hell nah,” he laughed. “That was awesome! I always wanted to try fending someone’s ex off for them. I had fun.”

“But I kissed you without consent,” Chikara tried, eyebrows furrowing. “That was really uncalled for, and I should’ve at least…”

“Tanaka Ryuunosuke.” He said suddenly.

Chikara paused. “Sorry, what?”

“Tanaka Ryuunosuke,” he repeated. “That’s my name.”

Chikara surveyed him, and bit his lip nervously. “Okay. Well, Tanaka, then. I’m sorry for kissing you without your permission. You may punch me.”

“Again with the punching!” Tanaka palmed his face, letting go of his companion. He gestured to the ceiling dramatically. “Do I look like that much of a thug?! You think I’m gonna sock you one for _kissing_ me?”

“Well, yeah…?”

Tanaka went red in the face, but not from anger. In fact, he seemed to be strangely happy. “I’m not gonna punch you, okay? You’re … you’re a pretty cool guy. Actually. You’re kinda cute.”

“I’m…?” When it didn’t look like the other was going to elaborate any further, Chikara cracked a shy, incredulous smile. “Oh. Okay.”

Silence stretched between them – as silent as two people could be in the midst of a party, anyway – but awkward as it was, Ennoshita couldn’t bring himself to leave. As if suddenly realizing that time was, indeed, passing, Tanaka cleared his throat. Expecting anything from ‘well this was nice but I gotta go’ to ‘actually I changed my mind about punching you’, Chikara looked him in the eyes, bracing himself.

“Can I grab your hand?”

… bracing himself for everything but that, apparently.

“What?”

Tanaka beamed, looking proud of himself. “I want to tell my friends that I’ve been touched by an angel.”

A pick-up line. A really bad one. Chikara put his face in his hands. “I’m not a – never mind. Look, I’ve already touched you… multiple times… there’s really no need for you to use that line. In fact, there is literally no reason for you to say that, ever.”

He felt a hand cover his own, and he peeked through his fingers to see Tanaka smile even wider. “What? You didn’t say no.”

He grunted. That was true. “Look, I’m sorry about earlier, okay? I really am." He tried to disguise it, but the panic (of a different sort now) was returning to his voice. He got defensive. "Don’t you have somewhere else to be? What about your friend and that chair?”

“Noya will be fine, I threw him over the fence to get the chair, so he’ll be back before you know it,” Tanaka peeled one of his hands from his face, intertwining their fingers as he led him out of the crowd (finally), and into the same wall he had been standing by earlier. It wasn't fresh air, but it was better than nothing. He calmed down a little, focusing on the gentle weight pressing against his palms.

“You threw him over the fence?”

“Cool, huh?”

“You’re ridiculous.”

Tanaka burst into laughter, much to Chikara’s confusion. “Now you’re gettin’ it!”

“Getting what…?”

“You’re pullin’ this face like you still feel guilty for kissing me out of the blue,” he explained, hands on his hips now. “But you don’t gotta be. I like spontaneity. I like surprises. C’mon, look at me, do I look like I care? ‘Cause I don’t! Kiss me again, I’ll prove it to you.”

“I can’t just kiss you again…!” He blushed deeply. His mind told him that this was the correct answer, even if he was strangely considering the option. Shigeru had clearly moved on from what they had, so why couldn’t he? … even though in this situation, he’d have to indirectly thank his ex, which was a weird, weird thought. He steeled his resolve. “If you’re not gonna accept my apology, can we at least pretend none of this happened?”

“What if I don’t want to do that?” Tanaka asked, determination written all over his features. “Fine. How about I kiss you, to make us even? You took one from me, I take one from you. Equivalent exchange?”

Chikara took a deep breath, eyes darting to the back door, realizing belatedly that Hisashi had moved somewhere else and he’d have to hunt him down again if he was really desperate to go home. This was a dumb idea. A really dumb idea. But he was also very weak, and Tanaka had been nothing but kind. “Okay. That’s fair. That’s fine. Do it.” His heart was beating really fast, he noticed. He held a hand to his chest.

Tanaka seemed subdued, as if not expecting him to have agreed so easily. Nevertheless, he squared his shoulders like a man on a mission, and nodded decisively. “Okay. Well.” He waved his arm around. “Close your eyes?”

The brunet did, fully aware that he was red to the tips of his ears now; somehow even more nervous than he was asking the very same man to kiss him earlier. The idea that this rambunctious, attractive (oh god, he was blushing all the way down his neck now, he could feel it) stranger would even want to kiss him again was a miracle in itself.  

For some reason, he expected it to be over quickly.

It wasn’t.

Tanaka held him close, kissing him softly – unexpected considering he possessed such a tough countenance – and didn’t rush. The kiss was chaste, mouths stretching into matching smiles as they bumped noses, the gentle tickle of fingers running up Chikara’s arm. He almost forgot that they hardly knew a thing about each other as his own hand met the side of Tanaka’s neck, thumb tracing the other’s chin.

A loud whoop was what brought them apart.

“Ryuu!” a guy, considerably shorter than the both of them, barreled into Tanaka’s side. “Oh hey,” he greeted Chikara. “You’re the sleepy-looking guy we passed on the way to get drinks! You really are cuter up close.”

“Noya!” Tanaka exclaimed, smacking the newcomer on the shoulder. ‘Noya’ only grinned, smacking him straight back. A band aid sat atop his nose, and he had a flick of blond hair sticking out from the rest of his wildly styled look.

“What do you mean?” Chikara asked, more out of intrigue than anything else. He also grumbled something to the power of, “I’m not sleepy…”

“Oh, nothing, really,” Noya chirped with bright eyes, though he looked pointedly at Tanaka. “I’m just glad things turned out the way that they did! I’ll let you two get back to it, I just came to tell Ryuu that the chair is officially a lost cause.”

“That bad?” Tanaka groaned.

“Yeah! It’s completely wrecked. The dogs might’ve gotten to it.”

“Not the dogs!”

“I know, right?! I’m gonna go find a replacement chair,” Noya laughed, then skipped off energetically, throwing them a wink over his shoulder. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

Tanaka shook his fist at him. “Be strong for mother!”

“For mother!” Noya shouted, diving through the crowd.

When he was gone, that little whirlwind of a man, Chikara gave Tanaka a side glance. “… what?”

“Noya’s so cool,” he replied, as if that would answer all the questions he could possibly have.

“I guess.” Chikara shrugged, accepting it. “So, um…”

“What now?”

“Yeah... good question…”

“Well, the way I see it, we’ve skipped a couple of steps.” Tanaka said, rubbing the back of his neck. “But I’d really like to get to know you. Like, properly. If, y’know, you’re cool with that.”

The brunet felt an odd, warm sensation flutter in his chest. Huh. He was never one for spontaneity himself, but... “I, yeah. Me too, actually. I wouldn’t mind.”

“So… is this gonna be a thing?”

“If you… want this to be a thing?”

They looked at each other, faces warm, and burst into laughter.

“Yes, I do,” Tanaka affirmed, gaze keen and sharp after they had finally recovered from their nerve-induced case of the giggles. “I’ll be the best boyfriend you’ve ever had, mark my words.”

“We’re already off to a great start.” Chikara smiled, a little shy recalling both the kisses they had shared that night, and thinking maybe it was okay to have been adventurous, just this once. “Maybe I should enforce a ‘no kissing until the third date’ rule.”

Tanaka spluttered. “It’s a bit _late_ for that, don’t you think!?”

He laughed again, “Joking. I’m joking.”

Their conversation continued in much the same manner, though it was easier now, to talk as if they had known each other for years – banter not dissimilar to that of high school sweethearts. It was too early to call it love, certainly, but Chikara was fascinated by Tanaka and his brash, uncanny wit; his passionate stories, and loud gestures. He wore his emotions on his sleeve, and it was that refreshing honesty that let him relax around the other man, too, despite his nerves being on constant edge only minutes – soon hours – before.

It’s almost midnight when he started to droop a little, and Tanaka, bless him, noticed immediately.

“I’ll drive you home?” he offered, expression earnest. “I mean, if you’re not comfortable with that, I totally understand, but –”

“It’s fine, I’d love to catch a ride,” Chikara said, equally as earnest. “Consider it your first duty, as my boyfriend.”

Tanaka’s grin, brimming with pride, was so awkwardly endearing that Chikara couldn’t help but grin back. He was led out, thankfully not trampled by the crowd, only with a passing farewell to Tanaka’s friend Noya to make – to which Noya shot them both a thumbs up and shouted something about fulfilling a legacy.  

Almost forgetting he had actually come here with someone (hey, it’s Hisashi’s fault for abandoning him in the first place), he shot a quick text to let his friend know not to wait around for him.

_Ennoshita Chikara, 11:53pm:_ don’t worry about me, take all the time you need

_Ennoshita Chikara, 11:53pm:_ I’ve got a ride home

_Kinoshita Hisashi, 11:54pm:_ TELL ME EVERYTHING

He rolled his eyes and pocketed his phone after seeing the reply, knowing that being squeezed for details over text would be a journey in itself. A journey for tomorrow’s Chikara. Not today. Today was a journey enough.

And if he was a little late getting back due to various reasons that may or may not have involved making out in the dark of a parked car? Well… nobody would have to know.


End file.
